Amazed by the Mountains of God's Creation

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but from my dorm room window I have a partial view of a mountain. This mountain is called "Lion Rock". The first time I glimpsed after arriving here, I said to myself, "I am going to climb that mountain." Well today, that dream was realized.

I started out on a run (unfortunately my first since I've been here) with the intention of finding some sort of trail up the rock just to scope it out for future reference. I did find the main path up, thanks to the guidance of a friendly local who nevertheless didn't speak a mite bit of English, and started the ascent. I didn't actually intend to climb all the way up today but my stamina and sense of adventure kicked in, propelling me to the top. Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. From my perch on the very topmost boulder, I could see the entirety of Kowloon, most of Hong Kong Island across the water, far to the east and west, and some of the New Territories behind me. It was the most spectacular 360 degree view I have seen. If I had to return to the US tomorrow, I would feel completely satisfied with my trip. The views were literally breathtaking and I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest. It is my personal belief that mountains are God's greatest creation, for it is from their peaks that all of His handiwork can be seen. They have been and always will be my favorite geographic feature.

These types of experiences are what I live for.

The total trip from campus and then back to campus took me approximately 1 hour and 26 minutes. Every minute spent along the way was worth it. Next time I will be taking my camera and you will see why I have such a passion for climbing mountains.